1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical disc drive for playing back or recording and playing back an optical disc and a method of examining the optical disc drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are known optical disc drives for recording and playing back a recordable-type optical disc such as a CD-R (CD-Recordable), examples of which include CD-R drives.
In optical disc drives such as CD-R drives, data is newly written onto an optical disc. Therefore, in such optical disc drives, an examination or inspection for checking a writing performance of the optical disc drive and a condition of the written data (as to whether the written data satisfies the required standard or not) is carried out. In the case of CD-R drives, such an examination is carried out by counting (measuring) the number of ATIP (Absolute Time In Pre-groove) errors during manufacturing process thereof or at the time when the drives are repaired. Here, the ATIP error means an error in the ATIP information which is previously recorded in an optical disc in the form of pre-groove (WOBBLE), and the number of ATIP errors means the number that could not acquire ATIP time information within a predetermined time at the time when WOBBLE is being reproduced. For example, in the case where the number of ATIP errors caused within a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined reference value, a determination is made that the optical disc drive is abnormal.
Conventionally, an error rate counter which is a separate external device is connected to the optical disc drive for counting the number of ATIP errors.
However, in order to connect such an externally installed error rate counter to the optical device, it is necessary for the optical disc drive to additionally provide a connector for connecting the error rate counter. In order to provide such a connector to the optical device, it is required to disassemble the optical disc drive, thus leading to a problem in that such disassembling operation and subsequent assembling operation are quite troublesome.
In addition, when the number of ATIP errors is counted during the manufacturing process, it is necessary to install the error rate counter for counting the number of ATIP errors in the assembly line, thus leading to another problem in that equipments of the assembly line increase.